Iron Legs
The Iron Legs are a tribe of cannibalistic zealots living within the ruins of Topeka, Kansas. They are however not crazed killers like most cannibals, instead human meat is only used in ritual ceremonies and to a honor a particular person. They have been growing increasingly hostile lately however, due to the encroachment of other factions into their lands and their on going war with the Grass Dogs. Founding The Iron legs are the direct descendants of Hunter S. Miller. A well-to-do business man and veteran of the Sino-American war, Miller was more concerned than most others about the threat of nuclear war, so he spent eight months and thousands of dollars building a shelter that could hold his entire family, around 30 members or so. When the air alarm sirens went off, Miller was glad to see that 23 of his relatives made it; those who didn't were the old, who prefered to die. They sat in the bunker for about a year, carefully rationing food and water with Hunter the only thing keeping them from each others throats. When the food ran out (they still had a week of water) they decided to exit and see what remained of the town. What they found can be sumed up as: not a lot. They looked through what was once their homes, and huddled together in the ruins of Hunter's neighbors house, as it was the most intact. Once again Hunter's natural charisma kept them together and they began gathering weapons and making crude shelters. When a small group of four scavengers stumbled across the Millers, they were recieved very warmly, and subtely quized about the condition of the world. The scavengers stayed with them for about a week before they "married" members of the clan, raising their numbers to 27. Over the next few months they grew used to hunting and gathering, built a small camp and prospered fairly well. The camp, Millerville, might have became a good sized town, had a large band of raiders not came into town and laid waste to it. Hunter led the defence while his family retreated and was trapped and presumed killed when the ruins he was in collapsed. Broken and terrified, they fled to the western edge of the city and took up residence in what was a grocer. One of the scavengers who married into the family however refused to give up his adoptive father and went back to look for Hunter. When he dug up some of the rubble he found, in a small pocket, Hunter alive and eating the corpse of a raider. When hunter saw him, he quickly explained that he was honoring the man who had been so worthy an opponent. The truth was the scavenger surprised Hunter and he didn't want the man to kill him for being a cannibal. The man accepted it almost immediately however, and carried Hunter back to the Grocer. Even when word got around that Hunter was eating human meat, he was still held in the highest esteem by his family and continued to lead them for fourty more years, dying in his sleep at 87. By this point his family had grown greatly with marriage and births. They had however focused more on survival than their parents so by the times his grandchildren came to power, they were for all intents and purposes, tribals. When Hunter died his grandchildren gathered his remains, excluding his prostethic legs he had gotten as replacements for the ones he lost in china, and put them into a stew as the ultimate honor, recalling the story of Hunter and the raider. They continued to solidify and farm the area that their parents fled to. As the Iron Legs They set up Hunter's legs into a shrine and named themselves after them. After this their first action was to hold a ceremony to water their crops with human blood. They gathered raiders and bandits and executed them in the farms. The harvest was so good that year that they made it a tradition to repeat every year. By 2212 their's was the safest part of the city. However the ritual failed the past two years in a row and as a result a famine occured. They desperately sought to appease Hunter's spirit (by now holding him to be a god) but nothing worked. Finally they decided to send a hunting party to look for food. Believing the name "Grass Dogs" meant that there was plentiful game there, the chief sent them to search the lands of their peers. What they neglected was that the Grass Dogs held the grass in the same way they held Hunter; sacredly and if disturbed with righteous anger. This was tragically proven when the hunters arrived in the tall grass and was killed almost instantly by the Dogs. Not only was food not brought back and war declared, but the chief's only son was amongst those killed. With terrible fury he lead the entire number of his tribe's warrior caste into battle and burnt down the grass. From then on they have been locked into a deadly struggle with no end in sight. The chief Jekor would dearly like an end to the violence but is unable to find anyone willing to attempt to go to the Grass Dogs. Another sore point is that his only daughter, Sarica is often sneaking away from the village in the middle of the night for unknown reasons, but is unwilling to bring it up and possibly lose his only remaining child. Relations Grass Dogs: The Iron legs have been engaged in war for decades and this is how most of the tribe likes it. Jekor the chieftain however, would like to see peace. Caravaggio's: While there have been no recorded fights between the two, the Legs still prefer to avoid the family. Huns: The Huns, like the Grass Dogs can burn for the rest of eternity as far any Iron Leg is concerned. The Hwice Group: Unlike their rivals, The Iron Legs are willing to trade with the Group, as long as its only medical items. The Hussars: The Iron Legs view the Hussars with love because of their support, almost like a cousin tribe, and will always help them when needed. Devil in Black Hats: the Iron Legs are neutral to them, and have no plans to open up hostility. The saints: They are unfriendly, viewing them as pagan witch-doctors, but haven't committed any violent acts towards them yet. Category:Organization